Vattavada Panchayat Imposes Entry Fee on Tourist Vehicles for Waste Management

A green checkpost at Oorkkad near Vattavada has begun collecting fees from tourist vehicles entering the area, with the new system effective October 31.

The Vattavada grama panchayat near the Munnar hill station in Idukki has fixed the fee at ₹100 for tourist buses, ₹50 for cars and ₹30 for two-wheelers.

Vattavada panchayat assistant secretary Pratheesh Raj P.J. said the charge was introduced to ensure proper waste management in the emerging tourist destination.

Local residents exempt from fee

The entry fee will not apply to local residents or people operating businesses in the Vattavada area, the official said.

Staff at the checkpost will provide visitors with a bag when their vehicles enter the area so that waste can be deposited in it.

Visitors can hand over the bag when they return, while plastic waste will also be collected at the entry point, according to the official.

The panchayat said the arrangement is intended to address waste generated by the growing number of visitors and to create a system for collecting it before vehicles leave the area.

Funding shortfall affects sanitation work

Under current guidelines, the panchayat cannot use plan funds for waste treatment activities, officials said.

Because of the resulting funding shortfall, sanitation workers have gone unpaid for the past three months.

The panchayat assistant secretary said the entry fee would be used entirely for waste management and local tourism development.

Vattavada has become an increasingly popular getaway near Munnar and attracts large crowds because of its cool-season vegetable and fruit farming, officials noted.

The rise in visitors has also led to widespread dumping of food and plastic waste along roadsides.

The panchayat said it cannot manage that waste without a dedicated source of revenue.

Revenue to support waste treatment and tourism

An official stated that the panchayat spent an average of ₹45 lakh on waste treatment works over the past year.

The official said the fund crisis had made it impossible to sustain those operations without alternative revenue and that the entry fee had been introduced specifically for this purpose.

Pratheesh Raj also highlighted the role of the Chakliya community in local sanitation efforts.

Of the 42 sanitation and Haritha Karma Sena workers, 38 belong to the Chakliya community, he said.

He said ensuring job and wage security for these workers was vital for the panchayat.

Officials added that the local body plans to use the revenue for infrastructure upgrades to support sustainable tourism in Vattavada.

Published - November 06, 2026 06:34 pm IST.

Source: The Hindu